Bienvenu de Miollis

Francois-Melchior-Charles-Bienvenu de Miollis (19 June 1753-27 June 1843) was Bishop of Digne from 28 August 1805 to 31 August 1838, succeeding Irenee-Yves Desolle and preceding Marie-Dominique-Auguste Sibour.

Biography
Bienvenu de Miollis was born in Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France on 19 June 1753, the son of a councillor in the provincial parliament. On 20 September 1777, he became an ordained priest of the Catholic Church, and he dedicated himself to teaching the catechism in rural areas. During the French Revolution in 1791, he refused to abide by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and emigrated to Rome, where he remained for ten years. In 1801, he returned to Aix, and he became Vicar of Brignoles in 1804. In 1805, he became Bishop of Digne, and he was known by the name of "Bienvenu" (French for "welcome") for his charitable and evangelical virtues. He was known to spend all of his personal allowances on charity or for religious affairs, even collecting an allowance for the fees of his carriage, but instead spending this extra money on helping the poor. Miollis was also known to be a kind person; when he was mocked by the people of Senez for entering the town atop a donkey (he was too poor to afford a horse), he sarcastically explained to them that he was not being "arrogant" by riding into town on the same animal that Jesus rode on, and that he was riding out of necessity; he saw it as the people making fun of "arrogance", not his poverty. Miollis also took in and fed the paroled convict Jean Valjean and gave him his silver candlesticks to redeem himself, allowing for Valjean - a former thief - to become a servant of God. Miollis remained Bishop of Digne until 1838, and he died in 1843.